Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I’m sure many times you’ve found yourself in a conversation or situation where you are confident that what you see or hear is not the whole truth, there is more going on behind the scenes or under the surface. How do you handle such uncomfortable situations? Oh my, how often God challenges us human beings with this matter of integrity and truthfulness, in so, many parts of the Bible.
Today, as we continue with Mr. Isaiah and the messages he received from God, that’s the subject God wants us to focus on, as Isaiah wrote about it in Isaiah 58. Will you join me for a few moments to see what God wants us to understand?
Isaiah was challenged by God with these words: “‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to My people their rebellion and… their sin. For day after day, they seek Me out; they seem eager to know My ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God…” (Is. 58:1,2)
While God is loving, do you understand He is also straightforward, clear, honest and God hates deception, lies, deceitfulness. I love God’s challenge to Isaiah to not sugar coat this message, sometimes things need to be said bluntly in order to understand there is danger here. It should be easy to understand this first part of God’s message. God is calling His people out. Challenging them with the fact that what God sees in their sinful hearts is not hidden by the fact that they are going through the religious traditions and rituals in the Temple.
Is that us sometimes my friends? Do we assume God will overlook the darkness in our lives because we go to Church, or we give some money to charities, or we volunteer our time?
God continues His challenge to Isaiah: “These people ask Me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted and you, God, have not seen it’ they say? ‘Why have we humbled ourselves and You, O God, have not noticed?” (Is.58:3) Oh my how our self-perception can be so far off from reality, isn’t that true? Here’s how God saw the religious ritual of fasting that the people in Isaiah’s day were doing: “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.” (Is. 58:4)
Is that possible my friends? Do people engaged in religious activities sometimes disagree, have conflict and even fights ending up in church splits? Really? Oh, my friends, it should not be difficult for us to nod in agreement with God here and admit that our wicked hearts too often go through the religious motions, but we are ‘guilty as charged’! Am I right?
So then, God makes this bold statement which is as much for us today as it was for the people of Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day 2700 years ago: “You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high!” (Is. 58:4b) Of course “on high” is another way of saying ‘God’s Presence in heaven’. Psalm 66:17,18 declare the same, very important truth of integrity: “I cried out to the LORD with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. But if I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened…”.
Now this is so important, I need to show you another Scripture which takes his warning even further. But I warn you my friends, this will be hard to hear: Proverbs 1:23-26 “Repent at My rebuke! Then I will pour out My thoughts to you, I will make known to you My teachings. But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out My hand, since you disregard all My advice and do not accept My rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you and calamity overtakes you…” Oh my, we need to let that sink in don’t we? What a powerful warning from God.
This matter of people going through religious motions, traditions, rituals and somehow expecting God is keeping a scorecard for each of us and will balance our rituals against our failings, our wickedness… oh my friends, that is a huge fallacy. God doesn’t work that way! We spent almost a week looking at the overwhelming love and sacrifice of God toward us in Isaiah 53, and so in view of that God calls us to integrity, honesty, transparency…no deception, no pretending.
And so, Isaiah wrote down what God said next, and it’s for us today: “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed in the wind? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? This is the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice, to set the oppressed free. To share your food with the hungry and provide the poor with shelter. When you see the naked, to clothe them and not turn away from your own flesh and blood.” (Is. 58:5-7) Oh my, that’s abundantly clear isn’t it my friends?
James, the 1/2 brother of Jesus did not believe Jesus was who He claimed to be, until after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and then James’ life was transformed, he joined with the apostles and even wrote the letter to first century Christians which bears his name in the New Testament. James writes this which sounds so much like Isaiah: “What good is it…if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?… Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone…As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:14-26) Oh my, such powerful and penetrating truths, right?
So, Isaiah concludes with this powerful statement of assurance from God when we get this matter of integrity and balance between faith and works working properly under God’s direction: “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” (Is. 58:8) OH my so much for us to ponder deeply today my friends.
Is your religion, your relationship with God so private no one has any idea; or is it so flamboyant, so much a show that no one believes it is authentic; or is it so out of alignment with the rest of your character and life that people simply write you off as irrelevant and dysfunctional?
Here’s a song to help us deeply reflect on God’s important challenge today, and I’ll see you right back here tomorrow:
Today’s Scripture: Is. 58:1-8.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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